Chapter 18

An Empty Heart


"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip


2 Months Later

Random Church

The small stone church stood in the middle of a forest. It wasn't overly fancy or anything, but it got enough visitors that it wasn't crumbling away. The priest led the chant as it came to an end before motioning for everyone to sit back down. "Thus we-"

BOOM!

The church exploded into flames and stone was thrown into the air by the blast. The last chunk fell to the ground as a one eyed man looked out on the scene, a blank look on his face. His ears twitched for a second as he turned and pointed.

A lone survivor pushed some stone off of him and stared in horror of what was around him. Flames and blood surrounded him as his fellow members laid dead on the ground. 'I-I have to get out of here!' He turned and started to run when an arrow pierced his heart, killing him.

"Nothing worse than survivors." Huntress said, lowering her bow.

"That was supposed to be my job." Bugeisha scolded the armored woman.

"Then be a little faster next time." The redhead teased walking past the other girl.

"Whatever you say, Scarlet." The kimono clad girl emphasized the name.

"I told you not to call me that!" Huntress turned and in a swift motion placed her bow over her shoulder, while at the same time pointing her spear at the katana user.

"What are you going to do about it?" Bugeisha asked, gripping her handle.

"Enough." Salamander said, walking between them. "Our job is complete. We must return to base."

"What happened to the guy who enjoyed stuff like this?" Ikaruga asked, but received no answer as he walked away. "I swear, I'm gonna kill that Angel for what she did to him."

"How could she have known her petty jealousy would cause him to lose his emotions?" Huntress asked.

"I would imagine she's known him long enough to know how he feels under the skin." The pinkette female said as she followed him.

"I suppose so..." Huntress nodded, following her.


Hideout

"Natsu!" Angel screamed as she ran over and hugged him. "I'm so glad your back!"

"The job was successful." He blankly said to Brain II before turning to Angel. "Please let go. I wish to rest."

Angel felt her heart break again as she slowly let go. "O-okay..." He walked into the cave and sat down in his bunk.

"It's the same every time." Huntress told her. "We do the job and his expression never changes. Only the clock can return him to normal."

"I don't believe that." Angel said back. "I caused this, so I have to be the one who fixes this. Not some stupid clock." She turned back to Natsu, sleeping on the right. "And I just figured out how." She walked over and nudged him. "Natsu, wake up."

Natsu opened his eye and looked at her. "Angel, is it another mission?"

She shook her head and sat down next to him. "No, I want to show you something." She reached into her pocket and pulled out Gemini's key. "Do you remember this?"

"Its the spirit key for the Gemini twins." Natsu stated.

"Yes, but that's not all it is." She sat down next to him. "This is the first key you gave me."


July 10th X776

Four months had passed since he took the children from the tower, and Brain was not happy. Four of the children he took were progressing rapidly, but Sorano failed miserably in every ability magic he tried to teach her. She couldn't summon any element, she couldn't make illusions, she couldn't do something a simple as Solid-Script. 'I'm beginning to think it was a mistake to take her with me. But I can't just out right kill her, or I'd risk losing Salamander too..'

He looked over and saw the two talking to each other. "Salamander!" Brain called out and the pinkette ran over, Cubelious on his shoulder. "It's your turn to go get supplies."

"But I did it last time!" Natsu complained. "And its Rich- er, Hoteye's turn."

"True, but the last time we gave him money, he kept it all." The leader reminded him. "I need someone who can actually spend money." He reached into his robes and pulled out a white bag of Jewels.

"...yessir." Natsu huffed as he took the bag and marched in the direction of the nearest town.


Karibu Town

Natsu tossed Cubelious a bit of meat and she ate it in one bite. The money Brain gave him was enough to buy food to last for several weeks, and there was still left over to buy some treats for his snake. 'I'm worried about Sorano. She hasn't found magic that fits her. It's probably hard on her.' He looked into the bag and found almost a thousand jewel left.

"Maybe I can buy her something special..." He mumbled aloud before walking past a magic store. He stopped walking as something had caught his eye. He raced over to the window and stared at a small gold key with a black Roman 2 on it in a velvet leather box. "What is that?"

"Got your eye on some magic items, don't ya?" Natsu looked over to find the shop owner, a woman with burnt-orange hair in an apron, walking out. "Oh, you want the spirit key?"

"Spirit key?" Natsu repeated confused.

"What are they teaching you kids these days?" The woman chuckled. "A spirit key lets the wizard summon a celestial spirit to aid them in battle. There are two kinds; silver keys can be used for battle, but are mostly for assistance in travel. The gold keys, like this one here, are the rarest of them and very powerful."

Natsu turned back to bag of Jewels in his hands. "Can I buy it with this much?" He showed the bag to owner.

"Sorry, but I can't make any money off that." She answered, shaking her head.

"Please... it's for my friend..." He explained. "She's tired every other magic and she hasn't found one that fits her. She's been really sad... This might be the thing that makes her smile again."

The woman let out a sigh before rubbing his head and taking the bag. A few seconds later, she walked out and handed the box to him.


Hideout

"I'm back." Natsu's said with a smile.

"Excellent work, Salama-" Brain started before noticing the box in the child's hand. "What did you buy with our food money?"

"...Jus-Just something for Sorano..." He nervously answered as he opened the box.

"A spirit key?" He took the key out of the box and examined it, making sure it was real. "This is a very rare item. Be glad you weren't taken a fool." The leader handed the key back to Natsu, who ran over to the girl. 'This might prove beneficial to me.'

"Sorano!" Natsu shouted as he reached the tree she stood next to.

"You're back..." She mumbled, still scared of what Brain told her while he was away.

"I bought you something." He declared as he gave the key to her. "I know you're having trouble with magic, but the lady said this was a magic key. Come on, let's see it."

"Yes, let's see it." Brain agreed walking over. "First, you must summon the spirit to make a contract with them. Here are the words to call them." He explained the phrase to summon a spirit as she gripped the key.

"R-right." She nodded as she raised the key to the sky. "I call upon the in the world of the Celestial Spirits. I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate!" The tip of the key glowed in a golden ball before she turned it. "Open, Gate of the Twins - Gemini!" The ball shot off and split in two as the spirits appeared.

"Excellent work." Brain told her. "However, it's one thing to summon a spirit to make a contract. It's another thing to summon one to aid you in combat. We have much training to do if you wish to catch up to the others."

"She can do it!" Natsu said, making her smile. "I know she can."


Present

"If it wasn't for you, Brain might have killed me." Angel said, putting the key away. "That was the day I really fell for you. The rest of the world saw a killer, but I know what you really are. You're a loyal dragon who looks after his princess." She turned and wrapped him in a surprise hug. "I screwed up in the forest, but I want to make it right. Please, come back to me..." She mumbled as tears started coming out of her eyes.

Confused by the sudden embrace and the tears coming out if her eyes, he clumsily hugged her back. "Angel..." Her eyes went wide before she looked into his own, only to have him pry her hands off of him. "I'm sorry, but... I can't be that man anymore." He stood up and left the room.

'Why!?' He asked himself as he came to a stop. 'Why do I feel nothing around her? Angel clearly loves me, so why I can't I love her back?' He tried thinking back to what caused this, but that only caused his head to hurt.

Tears still fell from her eyes as Angel gripped another key. In a flash of light, Aries appeared next to her and was punched to the ground. "It's nit fair!" Angel screamed as she climbed on top of the spirit. "It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not fair!" She shouted between punches.

Eventually, she grew tired of punching the spirit and just held her face as tears dropped between her fingers. "...it should have been me."

"I'm sorry... piri." Aries mumbled.

The last word caught Angels attention. "What did you just say?" In an explosion of powder, Aries split into Gemi and Mini. "What are you two doing? I called Aries!"

"We know, but... we can take a better beating than her." Gemi said. "So the king let us take her place."

"We were only trying to help." Mini added.

"Help..." She mumbled as an idea entered her head.


2 Days Later

Huntress and Bugeshia waited outside the hideout as footsteps drew their attention. They gripped their weapons ready to fight, but calmed down as Imitatia walked out of the forest. "Is everything going to plan?" Huntress asked the plant themed girl.

"Yes, he has no idea who I really am." The blonde nodded. "So, is there a reason I was called here?"

"Actually yes. Angel wants to speak with us." The swordswoman explained as they lead Imitatia into the cave. "Brain II and Racer out on a mission, so it's just us and Salamander."

The three women reached the white haired girl not to deep in the cave. "Good, you all came." Angel gave a small smile before letting out a sigh. "I need your help."

"Our help?" The swordswoman repeated. "What could you possibly need our help with?"

"Natsu lost his emotions because of me." The white haired girl explained. "I want to help him get them back. I can't wait for the clock, so I thought we could... retrain him in emotions."

"Absolutely not." Ikaruga said. "This is your mess, you have to clean it up."

"I don't know what he was like before, but now he's efficient and powerful." Huntress added. "I much prefer him this way."

"I don't know much about emotions myself, so even if I wanted to help him, I couldn't." Imitatia replied.

Angel gasped at the answers she received before glancing at Bugeisha. Deciding to focus on one of the three, she fell to her knees and begged them. "Please, I'm desperate!"

"Stop begging, it's pathetic." Angel looked up and stared at the swordswoman. "I'm more than willing to help return him to normal, on one condition." She leaned in and whispered into her ear. "We share him."

"Absolutely not!" The snowette shouted back. "He's mine and mine alone!"

"Do you really think he's gonna want to stay with you after what you've done to him?" Bugeisha asked. "Either you share him, or you can try this on your own."

Growling, Angel knew she had no choice but to agree to her terms. "Deal! Please, just help me."

The other two girls glanced at each other before turning back to Angel. "Will this help us reach the clock faster?" Huntress asked.

"I know it will." The spirit mage said.

"Then let's give it a try." She agreed as Imitatia nodded. "So, who goes first?"

"I will." Imitatia said, walking forward. "I discovered the location of one of a descendant of Neville's followers. If we take them out, we'll be able to use the clock once we discovered it. But we have to do this now. Jude only gave me a few days off."


Sevenfold Pass

The two stood on top of a cliff as a carriage drove down the road, surrounded by a dozen guards. Inside the box on wheels was their target, Tom Roberts. "So, how do we do this?" Salamander asked. "Do we just send a fireball their way and wipe them all out?"

"Sort of." The doll answered, pointing towards the woods next to the road. "Send one there and then follow me." With a nod, he summoned his element and threw it into the woods where it promptly exploded. The carriage stopped before Salamander listened to the target scream at the guards for stopping before ordering them to check it out. "Let's go." She slid down the cliff and he followed her.

"Jump." She told him as she did the action. He landed on the carriage top as she kicked the driver over. Natsu picked him up and burned him alive quickly as she flicked the reigns and horses moved forward.

"Help!" Roberts screamed as the carriage made a sharp left turn, bouncing him around. Soon, the buggy came to as top as Natsu ripped off the door and pulled the fat man out before throwing him to the ground. "Please, I'll give you anything you want."

"Very well." Salamander jumped down and pulled out the Anti-Link dagger Lapointe gave them 2 months ago. "We'll take this." He swung the dagger, aimed at his heart, and hit the man's arm, creating a red flash before Roberts was encased in a red crystal. "That's one..." He holstered the dagger its back sheathe and looked up as Imitatia climbed out of the driver seat. "So, what now?"

"We hid it and go back to the others in the morning." She said as she freed the horses and sent them running further down the road. "There's a cave nearby, we can put it there."

Nodding in agreement, he grabbed the crystal and started dragging in the direction she pointed out. The cave was really close by and he dragged it all the way in to it and walked out before smashing the wall with his Crushing Fang spell, letting the hole fill up with chunks of stone. "Too obvious..." He lit his hands on fire and melted the stone so it all looked one piece.

He retired to Imitatia as she was trying to light the carriage on fire for warmth. "Let me." He pressed his hand on the wooden wheel and the carriage started burning, warming them through the night.

Imitatia woke up the next morning and found the carriage reduced to ash and melted metal. She then realized that she had rolled in her sleep, evident by the padded grass moving in a curve, found herself next to Salamander. In the blink of an eye, she sat up and pulled herself free from his arms around her waist, waking him up.

This action Salamander up and he pushed himself up. "Is something wrong?"

"N-no. Nothing's wrong." She said, hiding the faintest of blushes. "Let's get back to the others."

"Very well." He nodded and lead her away, her blush disappearing as they walked.

'W-what was that feeling?' She asked herself, feeling her heartbeat. 'It felt like I had a genuine heart for a second.'


Hideout

"Well, look who's back." Ikaruga teased as the two reached the cave.

"How can you even tell it's them?" Huntress asked.

"When Lapointe took my sight from me, he enhanced my other sense." The blind woman explained. "He also taught me a kind of magic that lets me sense my surroundings without my sight." Imitatia stopped in front of them as Natsu walked into the cave. "So tell me, Imitatia, how did it go?"

"It went well..." The doll mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Huntress as she walked over. "We found target, and dealt with him. I have to return to Jude. Good luck." She turned and left, her blush returning to her.

"So, what now?" The red head asked the swordswoman.

"Training." Bugeshia answered. "He has yet to master his new power, and I'm pretty sure he needs help with his depth perception now that he has one eye. I'll handle the first one." She turned and walked over to her fellow pinkette and dragged him out of the cave, smile on her face.

"Another mission?" He asked as she let go of his sleeve once they reached a clearing near the cave.

"You could say so..." She smirked. "This is a training mission. I'm going to help you master your new power. Now then,..." She calmly drew her blade and pointed it at him. "Come at me." He nodded and charged her before ducking a swing from her blade. Salamander tried to kick her legs out, but she raised and tried to slam it down.

He moved his foot out of the way and jumped back before throwing a flaming haymaker. Ikaruga blocked it with her sheath before flipping her sword around and trying cut him. He jumped back as her sword started glowing. "Yasha's Empty Flash!" She swung her blade rapidly, and he avoided them all before jumping back. "Stop doing that."

"Doing what?" Salamander asked confused.

"You're only using your Sound Magic passively." She told him, sheathing her blade. "You need to use it offensively as well. Now..." She redrew her blade and pointed at him. "Focus your magic and come at me like you want to harm me! Yamato Wind!" She swung her blade and curved wind blades flew towards him.

Natsu closed his eye and focused his sound magic to the sound of the wind soaring at him. He snapped his eye open, shot forward, avoided the blades, and what happened next just appeared to be instinct. He shoved his palm forward and a sound wave traveled from it and his target exploded into a dust storm.

"Very good, but you missed me." Ikaruga said from beside Natsu. He turned to find that he sent a chunk of a tree flying off, as evident by the fact the stump and trunk were different sizes. "Still, that's impressive for your first try."

"Thanks." He said, standing up straight. "Just wish I know how I did it."

"Well, let's try to repeat it." She said as they spent the next few hours trying to recreate the situation.

On top of the caves, Angel watched the scene below her with a faint smile. She looked down at the bag of coins next to her. 'I need to get stronger too.'


Sunset

Both parties panted in exhaustion as the sun started to set. Ikaruga gripped her sword and both charged the other one last time. They stopped inches from each other, her blade at his neck and his flaming fist next to hers. "I think we're done for today." She smirked as they moved apart from each other. "Same time tomorrow, okay?"

She sheathed her blade and walked towards the cave. Natsu wiped his face off with his scarf and started following her. "You're not done with training yet." He turned around and caught a bow tossed to him as Huntress stood next to a tree. "We're going hunting."

Confused, he dumbly nodded and followed her deeper into the woods. "Why am I helping you hunt?"

"Because you need the practice." She answered. "I saw you training with Bugeshia. Every attack you threw missed greatly. Your long range spells are perfect for blanket destruction, but up close, you're sloppy. This will help with your depth perception... or lack there of."

She stopped walking and pointed over to a large deer grazing next to a small pond. "There. Our target." She pulled an arrow out of her quiver and handed it to him. "You do know how to use that, right?"

"I've seen you to it." He said before fumbling trying to keep the arrow in line with arrow rest.

Huntress shook her head in disbelief before letting out a sigh. "Here." She guided his hands into the proper form and holding them there. "Now, clear your mind, and focus on your target." He pulled the string back and let go. The arrow missed and flew left of the deer. "No!" She pulled him down as the deer looked up from the grass.

Fortunetly, the two were downwind so the horned creature didn't smell them. It returned to the grass as the two stood up. "You weren't ready. Now-" Huntress handed him another arrow and helped him reset. "Fire when I say so." She moved his body and aimed the bow for him. "Take a deep breath... and release."

Natsu did just that and let go. The arrow flew true and hit the deer in the side of the neck, killing it instantly. "Excellent. If we keep this up, you should be able to adjust on your own in a matter of months." She told him. "Now, help me get our dinner."

She walked towards the carcass as he lowered the bow."Thank you." Salamander said, confusing the red head. "I know Angel put you three up to this, I heard the whole thing. You didn't have to help me, but you did. I'm grateful... for all of you."

Huntress stared at him for a second as some blood rushed to her cheeks. "Y-you're welcome." She mumbled as she returned to the deer. "Now, let's get this back to the others."

"Okay." He nodded before giving her her bow back. The two gripped the antlers and carried it back to the cave.


Fairy Tail

Kinana laid in a medical bed at the guild hall. It wasn't her first time there, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Every now and then, she'd get these memory flashes, but they were so vague she'd end up with more questions than answers. Her throat was dry so she went to get drink from the sink behind the bar.

She filled the glass and drank the liquid before looking out the window. A memory flashed in her head, this one of a man with salmon hair and a girl with white hair. Normally, these memories scared her, but this one felt calming to her. 'Those are... my friends.' She felt her heart quicken at the thought of the man.


Just a little something to keep all you guys on your seats for a little bit. Only one more arc in the other stories befor I get back to this one. *Missing the glaring hatred from people reading this* Brief explanation about Angel not using any ability type. Remember in when Natsu and Lucy tried learning transformation magic, and Natsu took to it well while Lucy struggled?

I figured that every wizard can either use holder or ability type, but it all depends on the wizards magic power itself. The only exception seem to be Dragon Slayer Magic. And- oh fuck! *Ducks a flying chair that shatters against the wall* Calm down, Levy fans. I meant no disrespect to the brainy shrimp. I just picked Solid Script at random.

Last update, I told you about a poll for Aries in the poll and if yes won, I would go back and rewrite Aries back in. As you can probably guess by Angel having Aries, 'yes' won the poll. But it didn't just win; Yes DOMINATED this poll: a 28 point lead! My last poll didn't have that as clear of a winner. And it wasn't that hard to rewrite her in.

Next chapter will be the start of what I call 'The Infinity Clock' Arc, it just rolls of the younger better than 'Key of The Starry Sky' Arc. I have learned my lesson from when I did 'The Tower of Heaven' Arc. From now, I will focus this story 85% Natsu/Seis/Haremettes, 15% Fairy Tail.

Beta read by JBallinR12.